Shows of the Week: Julius Eastman Lives on Through Darrell Grant

THURSDAY, APRIL 20:

During his brief life, Julius Eastman amazed New York City’s avant-garde royalty with his pliable voice and innovative marriage of minimalism with pop chord progressions. The idiosyncratic nature and highly subjective scores of his work have made it uncommon in live performance, so if you’re a serious fan of modern classical music—or simply curious about this mercurial figure of the avant-garde—be sure to catch pianist Darrell Grant’s performance of Femenine, one of Eastman’s best-known pieces. Straub Collaborative, 3333 NW Industrial St. 7 pm. $20-$40. All ages.

SATURDAY, APRIL 22:

Spencer Krug has his hands full with so many projects it’s easy for even devoted fans to forget that Sunset Rubdown hasn’t put out an album in 14 years. But Krug’s proggiest, weirdest, most resolutely Krugian project is back, at least for a “tiny tour” ostensibly inspired by a dream he had that his far-flung bandmates were onstage playing together again. There’s no news of new recordings yet, but you can expect Krug to drop something with one of his roughly 5 million side projects soon enough. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St. 9 pm. $50. 21+.

SUNDAY, APRIL 23:

Bands that play American roots music tend to fetishize the past, or at least a cartoonish O Brother, Where Art Thou? version of it. Not the California Honeydrops, who play blues, soul and New Orleans R&B with verve, furor and charm. Led by affable Polish-born frontman Lech Wierzynski, the Oakland mini-orchestra knows its musical history, and their performances brush away distinctions between “old” and “new” in order to simply serve up the best music possible for throngs of adoring fans. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St. 8 pm. $30. 21+.